


The Fox and the Hound

by rosetico



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternative Universe - FBI, Angst, Assassin!Jared Padalecki, Broken Bones, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, FBI Agent Christian Kane, FBI Agent Jensen Ackles, Hurt Jared Padalecki, Hurt Jensen Ackles, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Minor Character Death, Minor Violence, Shy Jared Padalecki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-15 14:33:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5788966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosetico/pseuds/rosetico
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Jensen was in high school he met and fell in love with a certain Jared.</p><p>Then Jared disappears.</p><p>Years later Jensen is sent on an undercover case to investigate a group of assassins and meets someone who looks suspciously like his childhood friend. When Jensen and Jared reunite, Jensen tries to answer the ultimate question.</p><p>Who is Jared Padalecki?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 1) There will be slow updates. I'll try and get them out as fast as I can though.
> 
> 2) There will be some wife-bashing (but they're not married in this so...)
> 
> 3) Enjoy! :)

 

Some Time Ago....

 

Jensen Ackles was one of the world’s unluckiest people. Tonight was prom night, and he had no one to go with. His friend Chris was going with Steve, and there was no way in hell he was going with Danneel, even though she asked him. So, Jensen was alone on prom night.

 

What luck.

 

“Hey Jensen.” Steve chirped joyfully, with Chris at his arm. Jensen had always suspected they were dating, but his suspicions weren’t confirmed until tonight.

 

“Steve. Chris.” He acknowledged. Both men slid into chairs opposite him. Chris handed him a cup of bright red punch. Jensen accepted it gratefully and took a sip. The punch was tooth-rottingly sweet. Jensen gagged, but forced himself to swallow it.

 

 _I wonder if I’m going to get a cavity after drinking this_.

 

“So. Got yourself a date yet?” Chris elbowed him playfully.

 

Jensen scowled and muttered, “No...” Chris and Steve sighed in unison.

 

_Freaky._

 

“Listen man. There’s no way I’m going to sit here and watch you mope so—“

 

“Then go dance with Steve.” Jensen shot back. “I didn’t ask for your dating advice.” He spat. Chris pressed his lips together and pulled Steve away from the table. Jensen watched them worm their way through the crowd into an open spot. He contemplated taking another drink of his punch, but he suspected it would either give him a cavity or stain his teeth red.

 

_That would make me seem even more like a loser._

 

_That is, if that’s possible._

 

Staring at his cup of “punch”, Jensen decided he should go find some water or something edible. He tossed his cup into the garbage and waded his way through the crowd, trying to ignore the happy couples dancing or the occasional “platonic friends.”

 

The crowd finally dispersed towards the beginning of a long plastic table covered in a thin sheet that barely passed as something formal. Several platters were spread along the table, varying from salad bowls to small slabs of what looked to be fish. At the very end of the table lay a humongous bowl of red liquid and a smaller one containing water next to it.

 

Getting to the water bowl was easy. Getting back to his table however, would not be. He could either go around the dance floor or try and go through the dancers without spilling water on everybody.

 

Jensen eyed his options, and opted for plan C.

  
Which was apparently to run face-first into some stranger and spill his and their drinks all over the both of them.

 

Jensen and the stranger crashed head on, Jensen’s head smacking into the stranger’s chest and both cups sloshing over their rims. He could smell the sugary concoction of the “punch” all over his suit and he was just about to tell off the person who ran into him when he stumbled backwards and took a good look at him.

 

_Holy shit he’s hot._

 

Soft chestnut hair fell in waves across the stranger’s face. The guy ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back to reveal concerned eyes stared _down_ at him as they scrambled apart. Jensen wasn’t used to having to look up at people.

 

_Shit he’s tall._

 

Jensen stood in stunned silence as the stranger continued to blabber on about how sorry he was and that he really was very sorry and Jensen would be damned if he didn’t say that he found it all endearing.

 

“Are you okay?” The stranger finally blurted out.

 

Jensen cocked his head and smirked. “I am now that you’re here.”

 

The stranger’s cheeks dusted pink and he chuckled a little. “I... Uh...” He stammered and started to shrink away from him.

 

“What’s your name?” Jensen prompted. Stranger glanced around, as if he were looking for somebody, before answering.

 

“I’m Jared.” Jared said and extended a hand. Jensen shook it, both hands already coated in sticky liquid.

 

“Jensen.” He replied. Jared flashed him a smile and opened his mouth when Steve and Chris came barreling through.

 

“Jensen! You got punch all over your suit.” Steve scolded, rushing over and attempted to blot the punch with a few paper towels. Chris looked over at Jared curiously. Jared fidgeted with the hem of his shirt.

 

Chris motioned towards Jared. “Who’s your new friend?” He asked.

 

“His name’s Jared.” Jensen answered. Pointing at Chris he said, “This guy here is Chris and that’s Steve.” Both men nodded at Jared. Jared stared back at them, seemingly at a loss for what to do.

 

“Jared!” Someone called. Jared spun around. A woman emerged from the crowd. “Where’d you run off to?”

 

“Sorry...” He murmured, hanging his head. His bangs fell down and covered his face. It was all freakishly adorable to Jensen.

 

_I should really stop staring at him..._

 

The women sighed and looped her arm around Jared’s. Jensen glared at her. There was an air about her that he didn’t like. Maybe it was the way she spoke or the way she treated Jared, but something about her didn’t settle well with him.

 

He stepped towards the pair.

 

“Wait.”

 

Jared eyed him.

 

Hastily, Jensen took out a pen and scribbled his number on Jared’s palm. He looked mildly confused as the woman dragged him away.

 

“Call me.” Jensen mouthed, and winked.

 

The smile Jared gave him in return was worth it.

 

oo0o0oo

 

“So... The new kid, huh?” Chris teased. Jensen turned a shade of red and turned away.

 

“Shut up.” He said. Chris and Steve shared a glance.

 

“He’s not quite my type... But he has a nice ass.” Steve winked and Jensen buried his face into his hands.

 

“Ugh. You two.” He groaned.

 

Chris and Steve laughed.

 

oo0o0oo

 

The next time Jensen saw Jared was at school again. He’d never noticed that he was in almost all his classes.

 

Jensen supposed that was the way Jared liked it. He seemed like the guy who didn’t want too much attention. Which is probably why he sat in the very back in all of his classes and never rose his hand.

 

He also spotted him at lunch with the woman from prom and a few other guys. A few well discreet searches later he learned that the woman’s name was Genevieve.

 

Not like he was stalking him or anything.

 

Right?

 

On Wednesday afternoon he sat himself next to Jared in the last row of the biology classroom.

 

“Hey Jared.” He said. Jared startled slightly and looked up at him wide-eyed.

 

“Hi.” Jared whispered. Jensen smiled at him.

 

“So, _Jared.”_ He purred. “What do you like to do?”

 

oo0o0oo

 

Over the course of the year Jensen slowly got Jared to open up to him. He learned that Jared wanted to be an artist and drew as often as he could and on everything. Almost every piece of paper Jared had was covered in little “doodles” that were far better than anything Jensen could ever do.

 

Eventually Jared even told him about his family. He had a little sister named Megan and an older brother named Jeff who went into the military a few years ago.

 

In return Jensen told him about his family. About Chris and Steve and about his older brother Joshua and his younger sister Mackenzie. He told Jared tales of how Chris and Steve got together and their antics while secretly hoping Jared would pick up on the message. They bonded over the pains and joys of siblings.

 

One day they became something Jensen would even dare to call more than friends. One day, Jensen hoped, to be something more.

 

oo0o0oo

 

Jared came into school one day looking solemn. He spent the whole day sulking around and seemed to be avoiding Jensen.

 

Jensen finally caught him at the end of the day.

 

“Jared!” He called. Jared turned around, but as soon as he saw him he started to walk away.

 

“Jared! Wait up!” Jensen jogged to catch up with him.

 

_Damn him and those long legs..._

Somehow Jared realized that Jensen wasn’t going to give up, and paused by the tree in front of their school. Jensen caught up with him, puffing from exertion.

 

“I’ve been... Wanting to talk to you.” Jensen breathed.

 

Jared stared at him, the somber expression seemingly permanently stuck on his face.

 

Jared bit his lip and looked away.

 

“Jensen.” He said. Jared’s voice was always soft. Everything about him was soft and round from his laughter to the way he spoke.

 

The way he just said his name was not soft. It grated against Jensen in a way that didn’t sound right coming out of Jared.

 

“I... I don’t have a better way to put this, but...” Jared trailed off. He looked as if he were about to cry.

 

Jensen moved towards him to offer comfort, but Jared stopped him

 

“I’m sorry Jensen. I have to go.” Jared tried to walk around him, but Jensen blocked him.

 

“Why? Where are you going?” Jensen asked. He had a million other questions running through his head but those were the predominant two.

 

_Why are you sorry?_

 

“Jensen. I need to go.” Jared stepped around him. Jensen matched his steps.

 

“Jared. Please. Tell me.” He pleaded. Jared looked at him sympathetically.

 

“I’m _really_ sorry Jensen.” Jared said, his voice wavering. Jensen was about to ask him what he was sorry for, when Jared swung his fist into Jensen’s jaw.

 

The sheer force of the punch caught him by surprise, and Jensen stumbled backwards, cupping his face and ten thousand more questions on his tongue. Taking his momentary lapse, Jared dashed towards a black car that was waiting on the curb for him. A man opened the door for him and slammed it shut behind them.

 

Jensen gripped his jaw, tenderly poking at the flesh and was surprised when he felt a bone shift. He could already feel a bruise beginning to blossom on his cheek.

 

Watching the car speed away, he suspected that his jaw wasn’t the only thing that was broken.


	2. Chapter 2

 

Present Day....

 

It’s not like Jensen hated his job or anything, but Jensen hated his job. When most people start off for the FBI they thought they’d be some kickass ninja like you see in the movies. Unfortunately, for most people that is the unachievable dream job. Many people worked desk jobs either handling field agents or doing paperwork.

 

Jensen was one of the rare “lucky” ones. He was put straight into fieldwork, with the proper training of course.

 

And even luckier for him, his handler was Chris.

 

Not that he didn’t _want_ to be a badass FBI agent, but it would have been easier if he was stuck doing some desk work. Working in the field was tiring and stressful, killing people even more so. Jensen still had nightmares about some of the first people he downed.

 

Though Jeffrey would loathe admitting it, Jensen was one of the best agents they had. He worked hard and almost always successfully completed his given mission. It was one of the reasons they allowed him to disobey the rules so much.

 

“Jensen.” Chris yelled. “We’ve received a message from somebody claiming to have intel on The Animals. Jeffrey wants us in the meeting room.” Jensen snapped his head up at the news. He hurried towards the meeting room.

 

The Animals was the case Jensen has been working on for almost the past year. Since his success rate was so high, Jeffrey thought it would be a good idea to give him this. Nobody has been able to catch them.

 

Yet.

 

The Animals is a group of highly trained for hire assassins. Rumors have been circulating the underside of the city that they’ll be visiting New York for a weeklong gala.

 

When Jensen and Chris arrived in the meeting room Jeffrey and Robert were already fighting.

 

“They could be an asset, Rob. A very _helpful_ one. Who knows how many criminals they could put behind bars?” Jeffrey yelled. Robert sighed and rubbed his forehead.

 

“Exactly Jeffrey. Who knows where once as they’re in they won’t take this whole organization to the ground?”

  
The two continued arguing in the background, oblivious that Jensen and Chris had entered the room.

 

Jensen coughed. “Ladies.” He said. Robert and Jeffery sent each other a final glare before straightening themselves.

 

“Ackles. Have you read the message?” Jeffrey asked. Jensen shook his head.

 

“Chris.” Robert motioned. Chris opened his computer revealing an email sent from an encrypted sender. Jensen quickly read it.

 

_To the FBI_

_I know you search for The Animals._

_They host a gala at Winchester House._

_Use the alias the Wolf to enter._

_Stay for the week of the gala_

_It begins the 22nd of March._

_Bring and wear a mask._

_-AF_

 

“Can we decrypt the sender?” Jensen asked. Robert and Jeffrey looked to Chris.

 

Chris shook his head. “Been there. Done that. It’s virtually impossible. The more you try to hack it the more ‘levels’ of encryption it adds. It’s super complex. I’d love to meet the person who created it.” He said enthusiastically.

 

Robert scoffed. “The person who created it is most likely a criminal.” Chris deflated a little. Jensen patted him on the back.

 

“So what do you want me to do?”

 

“We need you to befriend one of The Animals.” Jeffery replied. “Hopefully you’ll get into their circle and be able to get some incriminating evidence.” Jensen nodded his head in understanding.

 

“As you will be staying at Winchester Mansion for a week, you cannot contact us until we pick you up at the end of the week. So—“

 

Robert cut him off and said, “Just try not to mess everything up. This is our one chance.”

 

Jeffery rolled his eyes and handed him a clear capsule. “This is for if things go really wrong.” Jensen took the capsule and put it in her pocket. He knew what was inside.

 

“Meeting dismissed.” Robert announced. He picked up a few files from the table and exited the room. Jeffrey followed him shortly. Jensen was about to follow suit when Chris said his name.

 

“Jensen.” He paused. “Be safe.”

 

Jensen left the room. He checked his phone. Today was March 20th.

 

oo0o0oo

 

There wasn’t much to do to prepare for his weeklong stay. He didn’t have anybody to say goodbye to, save Chris and Jensen had already packed a bag of clothes and weapons. Robert had given him his wolf mask yesterday. It was pretty realistic. Jensen wasn’t sure to what degree they went to create it, but it looked good. The “wolf” fur was extremely soft and hung down to cover the areas around his mouth. It was a little shaggy, almost like a real wolf mane.

 

_I hope it’s not real wolf fur._

 

 _That would be disgusting_.

 

Jensen stuffed the mask into his bag and headed towards the precinct.

 

oo0o0oo

 

“Our litter friend sent us another message last night.” Robert tossed a piece of paper onto the table. Jensen slid it closer to him and read it.

 

_Hello FBI,_

_Find the four ringleaders at the gala._

_First comes the Lion, then comes the Fox._

_Next follows the Hare and the Cheetah._

_Always looking for you_

_-AF_

“Cryptic much?” Jensen muttered, sliding the paper around for Chris to see. Robert snorted and Jeffrey chuckled.

 

“Yeah. We’re still trying to figure out what ‘AF’ stands for.” Jeffrey said. Jensen turned to face him, a mischievous glint to his eyes. Realizing what he was going to say, Jeffrey started to say, “Oh don’t you dare—“

 

“As fuck?” Jensen smirked. Chris suppressed laughter and Jeffrey turned beet red.

 

“That’s not what it means and you know it.” Jensen rolled his eyes.

 

“So, this Lion, Fox, hare, and Cheetah. They’re the leaders of this organization?” Jensen asked, turning serious again. Immediately the atmosphere of the room shifted.

 

“That’s what this ‘AF’ seems to think. It’ll probably be a good idea to see if you can find these people and if they really are the leaders.” Robert answered. He paused, before adding, “And if they are the leaders try and get as much info on them as possible.”

 

Jensen nodded and stood up, hoisting his duffel bag over his shoulder. He followed Robert and Jeffrey outside where a black sedan was waiting for him. He began to climb inside when Jeffrey stopped him.

 

“Take care, Jensen.” He whispered. Jeffrey slapped him on the back a few times before releasing him. Jensen looked over his shoulder at Chris and Robert. Chris looked like he was watching a puppy die and Robert stood there stoically. They made quite the pair.

 

“Jensen.” The driver called. “You ready?”

 

Jensen turned away from them and faced the driver. He dropped his bag onto the seat beside him.

 

“Yeah. Let’s roll.”

 

Taking one last look at the precinct, Jensen slammed the door shut.

 

oo0o0oo

 

The car trip to Winchester Mansion was thankfully uneventful. There were no bombs or shootings or people jumping onto your car roof and trying to shoot you. It was just all sickeningly ordinary, and it made Jensen sick.

_Perhaps I’m not cut out for the mundane life..._

 

The scenery outside was as bland as the drive was. All the buildings looked the same and so did the people. It was a little unsettling for Jensen, who had been trained to be on the alert for the unordinary, to suddenly be surrounded by the ordinary.

 

He knew it wouldn’t last long though.

 

Once they were at Winchester Mansion there’d be plenty of weird there.

 

_Maybe I don’t hate my job as much as I thought I did._

 

“ETA?” Jensen asked.

 

The driver hummed, before replying, “Around ten to fifteen minutes.” Jensen grunted and returned to his thoughts. He shifted nervously in his seat. One wrong move around those people and they’d know he was not one of them.

 

The driver chuckled, bringing Jensen out of his train of thought. “You sure worry a lot.” He said. Jensen glared at the back of his head.

 

They spent the rest of the trip in silence.

 

oo0o0oo

 

Winchester Mansion, like most stereotypical mansions, had a cute roundabout in front if it complete with a small fountain and neatly trimmed hedges. Several other cars were pulled up in front of Jensen, but they quickly moved away, each one dropping off a person wearing a mask.

 

“You should put on your mask.” The driver helpfully informed.

 

Jensen murmured, “You think?”

 

The mask slid on fluently and was comfortable on his face despite all the fur. The eyeholes gave him a slight tunnel vision, but otherwise were okay. Inhaling deeply, Jensen pushed open the car door and stepped out of the car.

 

oo0o0oo

 

Within 0.5 seconds of his arrival he realized he was underdressed for the opening night. Most of the people already there were wearing formal dresses, suits, or even ball gowns. Even the servants were wearing suits and ties.

 

_I should go upstairs and change. Don’t want to stand out on my first day._

 

A servant lady in a red dress approached him and held out a room key. “I assumed you were the Wolf?” She said. Jensen nodded, and she dropped the room key into his hand. “It’s the third door on the second floor.” She instructed before walking away.

 

Jensen examined the key in his hand. It was a typical key, with the room number engraved on the head.

 

_Room 203._

 

oo0o0oo

 

Jensen pushed open the door to his room. He quickly scanned it for any intruders, before flicking on the lights and dumping his bag onto the bed.

 

The room was lavish. The bed had insanely puffy sheets that were crisply folded at the edges and a yellow silk pillow thrown in the middle of the mountain of pillows that it had. There was a TV facing the bed along with a round desk that protruded from the wall. His room had a nice view into the front of the mansion.

 

Jensen idly watched people enter the mansion, keeping an eye out for anyone wearing a fox, lion, hare, or cheetah mask, while he changed into his suit. So far everybody entering the mansion did not even fall into the predator category of masks.

 

Then a guy decked out in a blindingly white suit climbed out of a silver Porsche.

 

Jensen’s breath caught in his throat, because the first thing that came to mind was—

 

_Oh all the miles of legs and chestnut brown hair..._

 

No.

 

It couldn’t be.

 

Jensen watched the guy straighten his jacket, trying to catch what animal was on his mask, when he turned towards Jensen and winked. Jensen paled and took a few steps back.

 

When he re-approached the window he was gone.

 

oo0o0oo

 

There was a cream colored envelope on the round desk. It was addressed specifically _to him_ in loopy cursive.

 

_Jensen_

 

Jensen tore open the envelope. The paper inside was thick and almost soft to touch. His eyes scanned over the letter.

 

_Hello Jensen,_

_By now you’ll have settled into your room, maybe changed into something more formal for the opening ball. But that’s beside my point. Your alias, Wolf, used to be somebody else’s. In order for you to use this alias I needed to kill them. You’ll find the body in your room somewhere._

_Best of luck,_

_AF_

Jensen growled and tore the letter to shreds. He swept the pieces into the nearby trashcan and threw open the closet doors. Sure enough, the very dead body of the former Wolf was hung on one of the coat hooks.

 

There was no blood, which Jensen was partially grateful for as cleaning blood out of carpet was messy and something he really hated doing. The corpse was still fresh enough that he didn’t have to yet worry about getting the smell out. So that only left one question.

 

_What do I do with the body?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized I'm mixing the actors with their characters a little but....
> 
> It's an AU. So... Enjoy!

By some stroke of luck, there was a garbage chute within the mansion. _A freaking garbage chute._ Jensen had almost no issue lugging the body, now neatly stuffed into a garbage bag, through the hallway and dumping it down the chute. He watched it go with some sense of pity.

 

_Poor guy._

 

“What are you doing?” A gravelly voice asked from behind him. Jensen whirled around to face them.

 

_Shit._

 

A guy in a dog mask was standing right behind him. Jensen could feel his blue eyes boring into his face. It was kind of creepy.

 

“Can you... Back up a little?” Jensen gently pushed the guy a few steps away from him. The guy, _the_ _Dog, probably,_ cocked his head to the right.

 

“Was that a body?” Dog said.

 

Jensen looked at him and said, “No.”

 

Dog sniffed the air a few times, before his posture relaxed. He shook out his arms and haphazardly slung one around Jensen’s shoulder.

 

“So, you’re the Wolf? We’re like cousins then. I’m the Dog if you hadn’t noticed.” Dog giggled. Jensen stared at him in confusion. Dog’s voice had raised several pitches and no longer contained the gravelly quality. It was like the serious persona he met a few moments ago was gone and replaced by some drunken two year old.

 

“You wanna get a drink? I hear they have a _really_ awesome bar downstairs.” Dog jostled Jensen around, pulling him in the general direction of the stairs. Jensen let the Dog babble on about drinks and women while he studied the mansion around him. It was pretty standard, having a bunch of useless paintings or statues around.

 

_I bet there’s at least one hidden passageway behind one of the paintings or bookshelves._

 

oo0o0oo

 

It was crowded downstairs. The ballroom was full of people in masks and the occasional servant without. People were mingling and so far there was no sight of any of the leaders. Dog had left him a few moments ago to get them some drinks. Not that Jensen trusted him to not poison him.

 

He surveyed the crowd, scanning each person’s mask for something that might resemble a fox, lion, hare or cheetah.

 

“Lovely view, isn’t it?” Jensen stiffened at the new presence.

 

“Quite.” He replied without turning around. The person chuckled and placed their drink down.

  
“Mind if I stand here?” They asked. Jensen shook his head. He could hear them shuffling around. They clapped a hand onto his shoulder. “No need to be so tense, _Agent Ackles._ ” They sneered.

 

Jensen froze.

 

They drew back from him and laughed heartily. “You weren’t very discreet about it. Your whole presence practically _screams_ FBI agent.” They leant in close; Jensen felt their warm breath on his cheek. “There’s a reason why I’m the head, you know.”

 

Very carefully, Jensen swiveled his head around to meet the person’s gaze. Green eyes met blue slits covered in a red fox mask.

 

The Fox smiled, and it resembled something akin to the look a shark gives a minnow. “It was nice talking to you, Agent.” They sauntered off just as Dog returned with the drinks.

 

“Martini?” They held out one of the two glasses. Without a word Jensen accepted it and downed it in one go, savoring the bitter taste and the way it stung.

 

oo0o0oo

 

As much as Jensen would’ve liked to drown his sorrows in alcohol, he had a job to do and it wouldn’t do to get drunk at the moment. He needed to be on high alert, as one of the leaders already knew he was there. It was likely they had already alerted the other leaders of his presence.

 

He stopped drinking after Dog got them a third glass.

 

“You sure?” He said. Jensen nodded and watched him pour it into his glass, almost overflowing it. Jensen snorted and resumed his watching.

 

The other three leaders entered the ballroom in one large clump. The Lion being a large beefy guy, the Hare a lithe woman and the Cheetah’s mask covered almost their whole body. The Cheetah’s “mask” was more like a headdress. It extended down their whole front and covered half of their back.

 

_Does it still count as a mask then?_

 

He watched the group carefully. The Fox still had yet to reappear after he approached Jensen. The other three leaders were circulating the ballroom, chatting with various guests.

 

Beside him, the Dog let out a shout.

 

“Artic!” He yelled, throwing himself around “Artic’s” body. “It’s so good to see you.” He slurred, obviously drunk. Dog giggled and hiccupped, before stepping away from “Artic”.

 

“And you too.” They paused, and added, “Misha.”

 

_What kind of name is Misha?_

 

“Hey... You should meet the Wolf.” _Misha_ said, apparently dragging his friend over.

 

“Should I?” A suave voice answered. Dog must have said something that resembled “yes”, as Jensen suddenly found himself facing the _very tall and very handsome_ guy-in-white.

 

“Artic. This is Wolf. Wolf. Artic” Misha introduced. “Artic” wore a white fur mask that extended around the back of his head to form what looked to be dog-ears. Chestnut hair curled around his ears and was the only color deviance from his otherwise completely white outfit.

 

Artic stuck out a friendly hand. “A pleasure.”

 

“Likewise.” Jensen growled and shook it with more force than necessary. Artic tilted his head and smirked. Jensen sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He had a feeling this was going to be a long night.

 

oo0o0oo

 

The opening ball finished at around 12:00 AM, though most of the crowd lingered to at least 1:00. They handed out “schedules” of sorts that listed the activities for each day. Tomorrow there was a required fighting showcase at eight and the rest of the day was open to whatever people wanted to do. Jensen read ahead to the rest of the week.

 

On Wednesday there was a fight between the four leaders, and then a three-day tournament between _all_ the guests.

 

_That should be interesting._

 

Sparing the schedule another glance, Jensen crumpled it up into a ball and tossed it into the trashcan.

 

oo0o0oo

 

Jensen considered himself a morning person. He wakes up earlier than most people. Sometimes when he wakes up it’s still dark out. Today was not one of those days. Jensen woke up at exactly 6:02 AM. He rolled out of bed and left his room by 6:10.

 

The hallways were empty as Jensen quietly slipped downstairs. The only people in the ballroom were servants laying out silver platters for breakfast and Jensen. It could’ve been considered peaceful in an alternate timeline where Jensen wasn’t in a covert operation to take down an assassin group.

 

_Maybe sometime in Victorian England..._

 

Jensen shook his head clear of those thoughts. He needed to focus.

 

oo0o0oo

 

Elsewhere in the house, a silent figure slipped into Room 203 and left behind a cream colored envelope addressed to Jensen. They closed the door softly behind them and padded away before Jensen returned, their feet making no sound as they walked down the hallway.

 

oo0o0oo

 

By 8:00 Jensen had thoroughly searched the first two floors and found no trace of cameras or hidden passageways anywhere. He grumbled as he reached for his room key. His camera had caught movement, but had been unable to identify a face.

 

When Jensen opened his room, everything was the same, except there was _another_ envelope on his desk. He ripped it open.

 

_Jensen,_

_It was nice to see you at the ball._

_Participate in the tournament with me?_

_-AF_

Jensen read over the short letter again. _It was nice to see you at the ball._ That meant Jensen either met “AF” or “AF” saw him at the ball.

 

_AF..._

 

He folded the letter in half and stuck it in his pocket. Jensen glanced to see that his camera was still in place. Sure enough, he spotted the red dot on the top shelf of the bookcase.

 

He grabbed it off the shelf and scrolled through the footage. He forward through several hours until he saw his door open. He played the footage.

 

Jensen watched the person enter his room and leave the envelope on his desk.

 

_So far their back is to me..._

 

They hesitated to turn back around to exit. Eventually, they turned and waved at the camera with a shit-eating grin on their face.

 

_Son of a..._

 

oo0o0oo

 

Jensen must be losing it. He sipped on his champagne while he watched the two people duel. It was mildly interesting, the techniques they were using, but it was nothing Jensen hadn’t already seen. He felt a presence slip behind him.

 

“Enjoying the showcase?” They teased. Jensen grumbled and turned around.

 

“Artic.” He said plainly. Artic rose an eyebrow. He ditched the white suit from last night and replaced it with a button down shirt that looked quite nice on him.

 

_Shut it, brain._

 

“Wolf.” Artic parroted. “Do you require something?”

 

“I think you know.” Jensen growled. For a brief moment Artic’s smile dropped, only to be plastered on twice as strong. He chuckled.

 

“Right.” He leaned in close. “Jensen.” He purred. Jensen pressed his lips together.

 

_Don’t rise to the bait stay focused gotta be professional_

He took another swig of his champagne. “So. What does AF stand for?”

 

“Artic Fox.” Artic _fox now_ replied matter-of-factly. “I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out last night.” He continued.

 

“Yeah, well.” Jensen muttered. He finished his champagne glass.

 

“Want another?” Artic offered.

 

Jensen shook his head. “I’m good.”

 

Artic shrugged. “Your loss.” Jensen rolled his eyes.

 

He lowered his voice. “Why are you helping me?” Artic’s mood turned foul. His smile dropped and the air became thick.

 

Artic seemed to consider his question, before replying, “I wouldn’t, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made.” Artic paused, looking as if he was going to say something else, but he just chuckled bitterly. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Misha approaching them.

 

“Now excuse me. I have some business to attend to.” Artic dipped his head to Misha and left Jensen alone with the chatterbox.

 

oo0o0oo

 

Misha whistled as Artic went. He leant over and whispered excitedly, “I think he’s gonna do it!”

 

Jensen looked at him, confused. “Do what?” Misha stared at him.

 

“Are you joking?” He asked. Jensen glared at him.

 

“He’s going to take over his master’s position!” Misha exclaimed. “It’s a big moment. Don’t you know about it?” Jensen opened his mouth to reply, when Misha shushed him.

  
“Watch.”

 

It seemed the whole ballroom was focused on whatever Artic, _if that even is his name,_ was doing rather than the fighting display that was going on. Artic made his way through the crowd, and Jensen could see where he was headed.

 

_Artic Fox.. The Fox.. Wow. Way to go. I’m officially an idiot._

 

Jensen could’ve smacked himself. In fact, he would’ve, had Artic not just slammed the Fox onto the bar counter.

 

The effect was immediate. The whole room quieted and Jensen wondered if they could feel the amount of eyes that were watching them, though neither seemed to care.

 

“Is it that time already?” The Fox said. He squirmed underneath Artic’s holds. “Wow they grow up fast.”

 

Artic snarled. He pulled the Fox’s head up only to slam it against the counter again. The resounding thump echoed throughout the room. “Enough.”

 

The Fox laughed and spat out a wad of blood. Blood leaked from his nose and onto the counter. “That the best you got boy? All those years I trained you... You and your precious little—“

 

Artic flipped him onto the ground. Out of nowhere a thin blade appeared in his hand. He was about to impale it into the Fox when the Fox rolled out from underneath him. The blade jammed into the wood, showering splinters. Artic growled and left the blade behind. He pulled out another one and advanced on the Fox. The whole crowd watched with baited breath. This apparently was a pivotal moment.

 

_“This is where Artic either takes the Fox’s place or fails.” Misha described it._

 

_“What happens if he fails?” I asked. Misha turned grave and said a single word._

_“Death.”_

 

The Fox and Artic tussled, both parties throwing spare punches or kicks at each other. Jensen could tell the crowd was getting bored. People began to shift uneasily, whispering to one another, betting on who would come out on top.

 

The fight at one point moved to the ground. People in the back leaned forward to see, but unfortunately it was almost impossible to. The crowd instinctively backed up or moved forward as the fight moved around. Jensen himself was getting a little impatient.

 

_And more or less annoyed I can’t see Art—_

_The fight. That I can’t see the fight._

Jensen eventually stopped paying attention. He fiddled with his shirtsleeve and checked his phone for any messages. Chris had sent him a couple, but he wasn’t allowed to reply to any of them. He scrolled through his apps.

 

_No emails, no texts, other than Chris, no—_

 

The crowd erupted. Somebody had won.

 

Jensen strained his neck to get a look. Everybody was on their feet, cheering and clapping.

 

Someone shouted, “Switch the masks!”

 

Immediately the crowd picked up the chant.

 

_Switch masks. Switch masks._

 

On the other side of the ballroom Artic stumbled to his feet, bloodied and grinning widely like he won the Olympics.

 

_Switch masks. Switch masks._

 

Artic held up the now dead Fox’s mask in the air. The crowd swelled, people chanting even louder. Jensen got a peek at the former Fox’s face. A name ran through his mind.

 

_Mark Pellegrino._

 

_Where have I heard that before?_

 

Artic lowered the mask and flipped it over.

 

_Switch the masks._

 

It happened in a brief second. Barely enough for a regular person to catch that glimpse when the Artic Fox uncovered his face and replaced it with the Fox’s mask.

 

But it was enough for Jensen. He saw the person underneath the mask. Saw the brief flash of slanted hazel eyes and chestnut hair and suddenly he _knew._

_Jared..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jared gets his own chapter next chapter. ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jared has his own chapter, mainly about his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a graphic description of torture evidence, so if you want to skip that part, don't read from "Jared reapproached the table and picked up one of the images." You can start reading again at the last two or three sentences. (From "He tore the photo in half..."

_In the Past..._

 

The woman smiled and licked her lips slowly. Jared could tell she was going to try and seduce him. She thought he was some weird teenage boy that was interested in... _That._

 

“Tell me, sweetie.” She traced his collarbone with a long nail of hers. Jared shuddered. “Where does your father keep his money?”

 

Behind her, a man chuckled. “We aren’t savages anymore. He keeps his money in his bank account. Like everybody else.”

 

The woman released him and stepped backwards. “You’re right.” She muttered. “What do we do now?”

 

“Well...” The man paced the kitchen floor. His focus shifted onto Jared. It made him feel uncomfortable.

 

_The way a shark looks at a minnow..._

 

“It’s likely he doesn’t have the money to pay us, or else he’d have paid us already.”

 

The woman sighed, “So what do you suggest—“

 

The front door was thrust open. His father came running inside, his shotgun in hand. He aimed it at the two.

 

“Jared. Go upstairs.” He ordered. When he didn’t move, he yelled, “ _Now_ Jared.” Unable to stop himself, Jared carried himself upstairs and shut the door to his room behind him.

 

“Megan?” He whispered. He told her to hide when they first came. “It’s me. You can come out now.”

 

The room stayed still.

 

“Megan.” He said again softly.

 

“... Jared?” Megan said, her voice muffled. The closet door opened a crack. “Is that you?” He moved over to the closet and opened the doors. Jared lifted her off the floor and onto the bed.

 

He placed his hands on her arms. “Do you know where mother is?” Megan shook her head sadly. Jared pressed his lips together.

 

“I need you to climb out the window and run far away. Don’t look back, no matter what you hear or see.” Jared moved to her window and yanked it open. The wind billowed inside and shook the curtains.

 

_Perfect._

 

Tearing the curtains down, and gathering any other sheets he could find, Jared started to create a rope for Megan to climb down with. Megan watched on with curiosity.

 

“Jared? What’s going on?” She looked at him with innocent eyes. Jared sighed and tied the end of his makeshift rope to the former curtain holder.

 

“Father is in some trouble with some very dangerous people. You need to go live with our aunt for a bit, okay?” Megan bit her lip and looked away. Jared could tell that she was scared, hell, she had a right to be. But she needed to go, _now._

 

He lowered the rope out of the window and checked for anybody else around. Seeing that it was clear, he stepped back from the window.

 

“Megan.” He said. She looked at the window, and then back to him. Jared could hear heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. “Go.” He whispered and ushered her over to the window. He turned his back to her and stood protectively between her and whatever was going to come through that door.

 

Megan was only halfway out the window when they came through the door.

 

Six huge men and two lithe women in black garb with guns.

 

Jared stood no chance.

 

They dragged his sister back into the room and took them forcefully downstairs where his parents were. His parents screamed at them to stop. His mother had tears freely flowing down her face. His father, on the other hand, was stoic, his face grave. Neither parent moved to stop them.

 

Only when they moved past Jared’s parents and towards the van outside did Jared realize that something was wrong.

 

Only then did he start kicking and screaming as much as he could. Not that it did him more good than to earn him a few kicks and punches in the stomach.

 

And while they dragged them outside and into their van, Jared realized that _they_ were the payment.

 

He watched as his parents tearfully watched the car drive away, but he knew if they cared they would try harder. He knew that his mother had a pistol in her drawer and his father lay down his shotgun somewhere. He knew that if they were _really_ trying to get them back, they would be screaming and shooting.

 

Jared knew that his parents abandoned them to the Animals.

 

oo0o0oo

 

Most of Jared’s life was spent under the rigorous training of Mark Pellegrino, otherwise known as the Fox. Pellegrino was one of the heads of the organization and demanded that he specifically trained him as payment from his father.

 

Once they arrived at the rendezvous place, the people that took them handed Jared over to Pellegrino and Megan over to another women. Megan screamed at them not to do this, but either they didn’t listen or they didn’t care. Jared suspected it was the latter.

 

Pellegrino never let that die. Over the years he always brought it up as a point of weakness, his sister. He would tell him how _sad_ it was that his sister _almost_ escaped and that she _almost_ could’ve made it. And every time he says it, Jared rises to the bait.

 

His heart rate would rise and his normally clear judgment would cloud over with anger.

 

The first time it happened, he simply said, “Interesting.” And left it at that.

 

The next time he brought it up while they were sparring and threw Jared down. “Pathetic.” He spat. Jared was half tempted to spit right back in his face.

 

Pellegrino would occasionally bring it up as a test, casual mentions of how his sister was doing or hints to who was training her, which Jared had yet to figure out. This kept Jared within the organization and was the only reason why he hadn’t killed his way out yet.

 

The Animals dangled his sister’s life over his head as insurance.

 

oo0o0oo

 

“Jared.” Pellegrino stated. He curled a finger. “Come here. I think there’s something you’ll want to see.” He smiled, but the motion looked _wrong_ on him. Jared stepped over towards him. A photo was laid out facedown on the table.

 

Pellegrino chuckled. “I guess you won’t have to worry about your sister anymore.” He flipped over the image, to reveal a gruesome picture of his sister’s _dead_ _body._

_Oh god Megan’s dead what did I do my parents they’ll never know or maybe they’ll find her in some ditch what happened why wasn’t I there what—_

Pellegrino patted his back and looked at him with fake sympathy. “Now now, I know you’re upset. I can see those little gears turning in your head. But for now, I need you to focus.”

 

Jared took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself before replying. “Focus on what?” He snarled.

 

“The upcoming Gala.” At Jared’s blank look, he continued, “The weeklong stay at Winchester mansion? Ring a bell?” Jared shook his head. Pellegrino rolled his eyes. “Anyways, there you’ll get a chance to take over my position.”

 

Jared’s head snapped up.

 

_That means..._

 

“You get to kill me, yes yes. I know that will be,” He coughed. “Very _sad_ for you, but it must be done. Tradition and all that stuff.”

 

Pellegrino waved his hands around. “Get training. You’ll need it.” With that he sauntered out, leaving Jared alone with the pictures and his mind.

 

_One of the most dangerous weapons one can have is the mind..._

 

Taking extraneous efforts to keep himself calm, Jared reapproached the table and picked up one of the images.

 

His sister, _Megan_ , lay prone _and naked_ on a metal table. Her eyes closed, and her skin too pale. Her dark hair was strewn about her face and looked stringy and mangy, a far cry from her former silky locks. Numerous cuts or lacerations littered her arms and torso, with blood staining the skin around them. Several looked to be quite deep and had not scabbed over yet, while others were still fresh or already crusted over with dried blood. The injuries, _or torture markings_ , only got worse from there.

 

Her stomach was a mess.

 

The skin was peeled back to reveal a bloody pool of her organs, or what was left of them. Jared could barely make out her intestines, which were shredded. He suspected several other organs had either been cut or removed entirely. The slimy surface of her intestines was slick with blood.

 

There was another square section above her heart. They had cut out a chunk of her flesh and burrowed their way towards her heart.

 

_God... They butchered her._

There were four shallow cuts on her heart. They spelled:

 

_J P_

Jared felt sick. He wanted to put the photo down and forget that she was _dead_ and pretend that it never happened, but he needed to face reality and more importantly, he needed to _know_ what happened to her.

 

_So I can do it to them.._

 

He clutched the photo tighter and continued onwards.

 

There were no more visible injuries on her lower regions beside the fact that her thighs were slick with what appeared to be a mixture of blood and—

 

Oh.

 

Jared tore the photo in half and let the pieces fall to the floor.

 

He had work to do.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen and Jared meet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for so long! I promise I haven't abandoned it. I've just been extremely busy (I went to camp and took a summer course :( ]. Anyways, enjoy!

Killing Pellegrino might’ve been one of the most satisfying kills he’s ever done. There wasn’t really another way to explain it. _It just felt so good._  

_Like when you finally release something that’s been building up for years._

After Pellegrino was _very_ dead, Jared slipped through the crowd and left the others to clean up the body. It was tradition that a pupil kills their master and takes over their place in the organization. Sure it was a weird tradition, but Jared was just happy that it was done.

And now he was one of the heads of the Animals. He wasn’t sure to what extent his power was, but it gave him more leeway than it had when he was merely a pupil.

Jared walked silently through the hallway leading back to his room. It was empty, with everyone still at ballroom. The next pupil would fight their master now, with everyone watching. 

It gave Jared the perfect chance to investigate. He smiled at the thought that this nightmare might be over soon, and he could—

No.

There is no normal life for him now. Not when he spent 20 years of his life training as a killer. Not when his sister is _dead_ and his family is _God knows where_. He cannot return to that. No matter how hard he wants to.

Jared stood before the door to his room. He sighed. He yet had to figure out how to clue in that cute FBI agent on what’s really happening inside this organization...

Something behind him shuffled. 

Jared’s attention returned to the present as he carefully listened behind him.

“Jared?”

Jared exhaled. 

_Dammit._

Jared turned around to face him. “Jensen. What a pleasure.”

Jensen looked torn between confused and hurt. “H-how—“ 

Jared snorted. “Please. Save your sympathy.” He waved at him as he opened the door. “Come in.” Jensen reluctantly followed inside. 

Once inside, Jared removed his mask, it serving no purpose right now. He moved over to the mini bar and poured himself a drink. He offered to Jensen, who politely shook his head. Jared sank into a chair, drinking his glass in almost one gulp. Jensen stood there awkwardly, staring at him. 

“Are you just going to stand there?” Jared asked bemusedly. 

Jensen pursed his lips and sat.

“What happened?” Jared looked down.

“Many things.” Jensen shot him a look. Jared smirked.

“Do you—“

“Remember you?” Jared chuckled. “Of course. You were my teenage sweetheart.” 

“Teenage sweetheart?” 

“We met at prom, remember? Nothing gets more cliché than that.”

Jensen frowned.

“You’ve changed.”

“You tend to do that once you go through—“ Jared cut himself off. 

“Go through?”

“The things that I did.” Jared finished his glass and stood up to pour himself another.

“How did you know I was coming?”

Jared paused. “I’ve been surveying the FBI for awhile now, trying to see if they were going to make their move onto the Animals. Once I saw that they were, I decided to drop them a note.”

“Did you know I worked there?”

“You were never part of my plan.” Jared admitted. “I thought you still lived in Texas as a sweet farm boy.”

Jensen laughed bitterly. “I wish I did.” Jared smiled at that. 

They lapsed into silence after that, the only sound being the ice in Jared’s glass.

Jensen leaned forward, clasping his hands together. “I looked for you, you know. All those years... I never forgot.”

Jared smiled ruefully. “You shouldn’t have.”

“Why not?” Jared stood, towering above Jensen with a glass in one hand and the bottle in the other.

“Because I’m not the same boy you met at prom.”

Jared smashed the bottle over Jensen’s head without hesitation.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's kinda short, but there's plot! Enjoy :)

Jensen woke up back in his room with a nasty gash on the side of his head and a bottle of Champagne on the table with a note next to it that said "Sorry."

He winced as he got up, his head pounding. He gingerly touched the gash, examining the blood stuck to his fingers.

Rubbing the blood off, he picked up the note. It was a standard white card with the word "Sorry" written on the front. Jensen opened it.

_Needed you out of the room. Had things to do._

_-AF_

Jensen stared at the note.

_He couldn't have just asked?_

Jensen crumpled the note and threw it in the trash.

Jared's changed, that's for sure. Most of it can no doubt be attributed to his life spent as an assassin, but Jensen wondered if there was something else affecting him.

_Wouldn't hurt to ask, right?_

_And what? Get my head banged up again?_

Jensen sighed. He needed to call Chris.

 

oo0o0oo

 

"Jensen." Chris said. "Why are you calling? You aren't supposed to call unless--"

"It's an emergency. I know. But this is important."

"More important than keeping your cover?" Chris hissed. "Ackles, you're in a wolves den, both figuratively and literally. You need to be careful."

"I am". Jensen grit. "But listen, someone knows that I'm here."

Chris went silent. "Like that you're FBI?"

"Yeah."

"Is your cover blown?"

"Not yet. But they have some..." Jensen paused. "Questionable motives. I'm not sure how long it'll last."

"Should we pull you out?"

"No. It'll look too suspicious." Jensen looked around. "I'm going to participate in the tournament."

"What?!" Chris yelled. Immediately lowering his voice, he continued, "You can't."

“Because it’s dangerous? Or because I’m actually not allowed to?”

Chris sighed, “You’re actually not allowed to. Robert said that you weren’t allowed to participate in any of their events, lest you either a) commit a crime or b) arouse suspicion because you weren’t at any of their last gatherings.”

“Where’s Robert?”

Jensen listened as Chris and probably Robert shuffled the phone around.

“Robert speaking.”

“Sir, I need to participate in the tournament.”

Jensen could almost hear Robert frowning. “Give me one reason as to why you’d want to.”

“I believe it’s the only way I can get more information out of a source and keep my cover.” Jensen added, “Sir.”

“And what ‘source’ is this?”

Jensen chose his words carefully. “A... ‘friend’ of sorts.”

Robert harrumphed. “You have no friends there. Remember that.” Robert sighed, “Permission to enter tournament. Be careful, Ackles.”

Robert hung up the phone.

 

oo0o0oo

 

Jensen put his mask on and went downstairs to sign up for the tournament. A few people were milling around in the hallways or by the bar, a couple showing off some of their weapons. No sign of Misha or Jared. He approached a maid passing by.

“How do you sign up for the tournament?” He asked.

The maid laughed. “You don’t.”

Jensen frowned. “What do you mean?”

“It’s mandatory.” She said simply, before walking off.

_Right._

_Forgot about that._

Jensen sighed.

_Good thing Robert’s on board._

Considering that he already made the trip down, Jensen moved towards the bar and ordered himself a glass. He was about to leave and head back to his room when he overheard something interesting. A man wearing a lion mask and a woman wearing a cheetah mask with fur draping down her back leant against the bar.

_Lion. Cheetah._

_Leaders._

He strained to hear their conversation.

“Is he one of us?” The woman said.

“Not that I recall. Maybe ask Hare if he recruited someone new.”

“I already did.”

The man hummed. “Hm. Interesting. What was their guise?”

“A dog.”

“Interesting. I’ll have the newly finished Fox onto it.” The man downed his drink and was about to leave when the woman grabbed him. She leant close to him and whispered something in his ear that Jensen couldn’t hear.

Jensen stood up and left the ballroom. He had a dog to confront


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes. I'm finally updating this after what seems like a billion years.

Jensen found Misha in the hallway leading to Jensen’s room, which was a bit strange (but to be honest, everything about Misha was strange in a way).

“Jensen!” Misha exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“This is my room.” Jensen deadpanned. “What are _you_ doing here?”

Misha’s response was surprisingly quick. There was no pause before he answered. “Waiting for you, obviously.” Misha appeared to roll his eyes, but it was hard to tell because of the mask.

“What are you doing at this banquet?”

Misha frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t lie to me, _Misha._ ” Jensen growled. “What are you doing here?”

Misha tilted his head. In the same carefree voice as one might ask the weather, he said, “I suppose I could ask you the same thing, _agent._ ”

Jensen moved quickly, pinning Misha against the wall. Misha let out a noise as his back hit the wall. “Kinky.” Misha muttered.

“How do you know that?” Jensen said, keeping his voice low in case anybody passed by.  
“Know what?” Misha said coyly.

“That I’m—“ Jensen looked around before continuing. “An agent.”

Misha smiled. “I’m working with Jared.”

Jensen released Misha and stepped back. “What?”

Misha giggled. “Jared brought me here. I’m his—what do you call it—tech guy?”

Jensen sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Why does Jared need a tech guy?”

“Well he’s—“

“Never mind.” Jensen said quickly. “I don’t want to know.” He looked down the hallway, checking for anybody who might be listening. “Misha. They’re onto you.”

“Who—“ Misha stopped speaking mid-sentenced as he realized. His face became serious, a strange look on the usually cheerful and upbeat man. “I see.” Misha muttered. Speaking louder, he said, “I must be somewhere.” With that, Misha pushed past Jensen and walked back down the hall.

oo0o0oo

The first round of the tournament started that night. It was held in the basement of the mansion, which was substantially bigger than the ballroom, allowing for a larger fighting area. There was an elevated wooden platform that was roped off. Jensen supposed that’s where they were supposed to fight. In the corner there was a minibar where the four leaders—including Jared now—sat. The woman—also known as the Cheetah—leaned over to Jared and said something. Jensen was way to far away to hear (and reading lips was not his forte). Jensen watched as Jared nodded and stood, walking away from the other leaders. Jensen followed Jared with his eyes as he weaved through the crowd. It was hard to miss him as he was still wearing the white suit he wore to the last event.

“Ladies and gentlemen.” A voice rang out, amplified by a microphone. Jensen looked away from Jared and towards the “stage.” A woman wearing a plain white mask was standing on the platform. “The tournament is about to begin, so please take your seats and start to prepare.”

Jensen sat down, unsure of what to do. People around him began removing sweaters and jackets. Several people started to do various exercises on the ground. Jensen just sat there at a loss for what to do.

Jensen jumped as a hand was placed on his shoulder. “Hello.” They said. Jensen turned to face them.

“Ja—I mean, Artic.” Jensen greeted.

Jared laughed quietly. “I was told that Dog’s cover has been made.”

“So it seems.”

“Misha is grateful that you warned him.” Jared said.

“Where is he?” Jensen looked around. “I don’t see him here.”

“He had a very sudden and untimely death.” Jared stated plainly.

Jensen looked at Jared. “Is he really dead?”

Jared shrugged. He pat Jensen’s shoulder. “Enjoy the tournament, Jensen.” Jared said, before walking back to where the other leaders sat. Jensen was about to walk after Jared when the lady with the white mask began to speak again.

“First up, we have an _epic_ brawl between the four leaders themselves! Everybody, give a hand to Cheetah, Lion, Hare, and Fox!”

The four leaders walked onto the platform, waving to the crowd. The applause was tremendous, the sound almost deafening Jensen. He noticed that the long draped mask the Cheetah wore was gone, replaced by a shorter mask similar to Jared’s. Jensen took mental notes of what each leader looked like. The Cheetah was a small and slender woman, her body betraying the true amount of strength she possessed. The rest of the leaders were male. The Lion being a bulky man, while the Hare being the exact opposite, a small shrew man who had grey hair.

The four leaders walked into separate corners. There seemed to be some communal understanding between them as they all began the fight simultaneously.

The Cheetah threw herself onto the Lion, her arms grappling at his head. The crowd roared. The room swelled with sound. Jared was busy fighting the Hare, who though he was small and probably old, moved extremely quickly.

The fight was fast and hard for Jensen to follow. The four leaders seemed to dance around each other, never quite beating one another. They changed whom they were fighting against often too, sometimes two leaders ganging up on one. The crowd was no less enthusiastic than they had been in the beginning. It was truly a sight to behold.

Finally, the Cheetah (who had been fighting with Jared previously) threw down the Hare, and he did not get up. The crowd, impossibly so, became even louder. They immediately began chanting “Cheetah.” Jensen mouthed along.

Jensen wondered if the Hare was dead, but the thought was quickly dismissed when the Hare rose and stepped off of the platform.

The Cheetah darted underneath Jared’s punch and wasted no time in throwing herself back into the fight after her victory. She fought viciously, and showed no sign of relenting.

Jared, on the other hand, fought carefully. Jensen had been watching the way he fought. Jared was calculating every move he made. Every punch he threw, every time he moved was meticulously thought through in order to obtain the best advantage over the remaining two leaders.

At one point, the Lion was knocked down. He too, exited the ring.

Now it was just Jared and the Cheetah. They circled each other, waiting for the other to strike.

To Jensen’s surprise, Jared moved first.

Unlike previously, he moved quickly and agilely. His body seemed to become water, flowing smoothly around the Cheetah, and moving away whenever she lashed out. Jared moved fast, matching pace with the Cheetah.

Jared moved fast, but not fast enough. The Cheetah blocked every one of his punches and landed a few against him. It seemed that Jared was going to loose, and even the crowd thought so. They were all (still) chanting the Cheetah’s name.

It was almost impossibly fast, Jensen wouldn’t have seen it.

Jared’s fist lashed out, as quick as a viper and landed solidly on the Cheetah’s face. She stumbled, and the crowd went silent. Her knees seemed to give out, as she sank to the ground. Jared towered over her.

“I concede.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This scene was extremely fun to write...


	8. Chapter 8

The room was silent. No one dared to be the first one to clap. Jensen watched the others’ reactions. A few of them looked angry, but most remained impassive, keeping their emotions off their faces.

The announced lady coughed awkwardly. “Well, please give a hand to our winner, the Artic Fox!”

The applause that followed was nothing less than courtesy. Jared didn’t look phased though. He merely smiled and wiped some sweat off his forehead. The four leaders exited off the platform.

“Now, next up we have the first round of the tournament. Each participant will fight in one round only. If you miss your call, you’re out. Make sure that....” The lady droned on, giving all the rules and specifications of the tournament. Jensen didn’t pay much attention, as his name was almost last on the list showing the rounds. He leaned back into his chair. It would be a long night.

oo0o0oo

Halfway through the fights, a cart came around with food. They handed Jensen a plate. He took it and thanked them.

The plate consisted of an ambiguous looking meat, some rice, and spinach. Jensen cut the meat and ate it. It was decent, a little chewy, but it wasn’t the worst he’d had. It tasted like cafeteria food. He ate the rest of it without hesitation.

The rice was a little overcooked, and when he was halfway through it he found himself chewing on something hard. Jensen spat it out into his hand.

It was a small metallic capsule, with a smooth button on it. Jensen swallowed the remaining rice in his mouth and pressed the button. The capsule popped open, a small folded note sticking out. Jensen grabbed it with his fingers and unfolded it.

_Room._

_-Artic_

The piece of paper was barely big enough to fit those two words on it. Jensen crumpled it and stuck it into his pocket. He turned his attention back to the room. Most of the participants were engrossed in the fights, but the leaders sat in the corner watching his every move. Jared included.

They made eye contact across the room. Jared smirked and winked before looking away.

oo0o0oo

“Now calling up, the Wolf and the Monkey!”

Jensen rose and stepped up onto to the platform. The Monkey, his opponent, was a tall man with gangly arms. Jensen wouldn’t underestimate him though; he knew everyone around him was as deadly as the leaders.

The announcer paced around the perimeter of the platform.

“Begin!” She shouted.

Jensen readied himself into a fighting position. By the time he got there the Monkey was already attacking him. Jensen had barely enough time to block before they threw the first punch.

The Monkey continued their barrage of attacks, and Jensen’s defense was beginning to slip. He could feel his own weariness creeping up on him. His hands shook and his muscles trembled. Sweat dripped off his brow. He needed to push back.

Without hesitating, Jensen swung back at the Monkey.

Of course, they blocked it, but that was all Jensen needed.

Now, without being under the constant fire of their attacks, he had time to fight back.

The Monkey almost immediately resumed their barrage of punches, but Jensen had gotten an edge in. Every now and then the Monkey left a gap long enough for Jensen to land a few hits. Eventually the Monkey’s endless stamina seemed to end as he failed to block one of Jensen’s punches.

They took the hit directly and stumbled, not quite falling down. Jensen waited for them to recover, in case the fight should continue. But, they held up their hands and smiled playfully.

“Winner! The Wolf!”

oo0o0oo

The round ended shortly after Jensen fought. Those who did not pass the first round of the tournament were expected at a rigorous training class while those who did pass would fight in the second round. Jensen was glad he passed.

He opened the door to his room. Jensen glanced around, but didn’t see anything immediately suspicious. He found himself a little disappointed that Jared did not show up.

As he entered, he spotted a stack of folders sitting on the bedroom nightstand. Jensen picked them up and began to flip through the files, reading the tabs.

_Nadie Berg, codename: Cheetah._

_Jason Moor, codename: Lion_

_Stewart Kriff, codename: Hare_

_Jared Padalecki: codename Artic Fox_

He opened the first one. Inside was a collection of information of Nadie. It contained almost everything, including a detailed summary of her life. There were photos, as well as copies of her fingerprints. On the last page, was a list of all the people she had killed. Underneath some names were specific details that would help prove her guilt. How Jared got this was beyond Jensen.

The other files were similar. Each file was enough to put away each leader for life. With this, Jensen could leave the gala right now with enough information to bring down the whole organization.

Jensen closed the folder and dialed Chris.

“You shouldn’t be calling.” Chris stated flatly.

“This is important.”

“Mhm.” Chris hummed. “What is it?”

“I have enough information to take down the leaders. Should I pull out?”

Chris was silent for a moment. “How on earth, did you get enough in that little time?”

“I have an inside source.”

“Are they to be trusted?”

“... Yes.” Jensen said. “Do I request an out?”

“No.” Chris said. “It would draw too much attention. Complete the tournament. Don’t die. And definitely, don’t loose that information. If you think your cover has been made, request an out, but for now...” Chris trailed off.

“I understand.” Jensen said, and hung up. He turned his attention back to the files. It would be easy to stash them under his mattress and keep them hidden, but that wouldn’t be enough. Should a maid come in and discover those, he would be a dead man walking. Jensen needed to get rid of them.

_Drive._

_I can copy them onto a hard drive._


	9. Chapter 9

The issue with Jensen’s fabulous plan of copying them onto a hard drive that could be easily hidden was that he did not have a hard drive to copy them onto.

Even if he did have one, Jensen did not bring a computer to the gala. But he knew someone who might have.

Jensen walked up to Jared who was talking to a few other guests. “We need to talk.”

Jared smiled coldly. “Excuse me for a moment.”

Jensen practically dragged Jared into the hallway. “I need to speak with Misha,” he said.  
Jared narrowed his eyes. “Misha’s dead.”

“Well, summon him back from the dead or something because I need to speak with him.”

Jared pressed his lips together. “Fine.” Jared grabbed Jensen’s hand and pressed a small comlink into it. “8:00,” Jared said, and then walked away.

Jensen put the comlink into his ear.

“Misha?” He whispered. “Are you there?”

There was no reply. Just static. Jensen took it out of his ear and stuffed it into his pocket. He would put it back in at 8.

oo0o0oo

Unfortunately, the second round of the tournament was being held at 8:00. Jensen had two options: sneak out and copy the files during the tournament, or wait until afterwards. He had no idea if Misha would still be available after the tournament, and wasn’t willing to take the chance. Jensen needed to sneak out.

There were no surveillance cameras in sight. The only problem were the leaders who sat in the corner, watching everybody’s moves. It almost looked as if they were staring directly at him.

Jensen shook himself. That would be almost impossible. There were a little over 100 people in the room.

He checked his watch. It was 8:00.

“Showtime...” Jensen muttered as the spokeswoman from last night stepped onto the platform.  
“Good evening everybody!” The crowd kept on chattering. “Settle down now,” she warned. “We’re about to begin the second round of our tournament.”

Jensen reached up to itch his head and snuck the comlink into his ear while doing so.

“Hello?” He whispered.

The comlink crackled to life, Misha’s voice coming through over the receiver. “Hey Jensen,” Misha greeted. “What’s up.”

“I need to copy some files onto a hard drive.”

“Okay, so first you open the—“

“I don’t have a hard drive.”

“Oh.” Misha said. He was silent for a moment. “There’s a computer room in the mansion. It’s on the third floor. If you can copy the files onto the computer I can get them to Jared who can get them to you.”

“Alright, but how do I get out of the tournament?”

“The tournament is the perfect cover. Nobody will be outside.”  
Jensen snorted. “That’s the problem. How do I get out?”

There was silence as Misha seemed to be checking something. “No security cameras down there, so I can’t really help you with that.”

Jensen rolled his eyes. “Thanks a lot...”

“... I might have an idea, but you’re not gonna like it.”

“Tell me anyways.”

“If you can get injured enough from your fight, you’ll be excused to go to the infirmary and patch yourself up.”

“How badly?”

“Uh... It would need to be pretty bad.”

Jensen stared at the platform where two people were now fighting. He watched them exchange blows, both opponent ceaselessly struggling for the upper hand.  
“I’ll do it.” He murmured into the com.

oo0o0oo

Jensen came out of the fight with a broken arm and a bloody nose. He probably shouldn’t have taunted the man further, but he needed it to be real. The spokeswoman had given him directions to the infirmary.

“Go up the stairs and it’s right by the ballroom,” she instructed.

“Got it,” affirmed Jensen. He walked upstairs and found the infirmary easily enough.

“Misha, you still there?”

“... Yeah. I am,” Misha said. Jensen swore he heard him say “I wish I wasn’t though.”

Jensen dabbed at the blood coming from his nose with his good hand. His other arm was propped against the cabinet. Jensen stuffed a cotton ball up his nose and started to wrap his arm.

“Where is this computer lab again?”

“Third floor. At the end of the hallway.”

Jensen exited the infirmary. The mansion was devoid of people, not even the butlers or maids were there. The stairs creaked as he walked up to the third floor.

On the third floor there was only one hallway, leading to what Misha had said was the computer lab. All the doors were plain and wooden, a stark contrast to the ornate doors of the guest rooms.

Jensen reached for the doorknob with his working hand and pushed. The door resisted at first, but gave way, dust billowing as Jensen entered the room. He coughed and waved away the dust. Sure enough, there were computers in the room. They looked at least a decade old and were covered in dust, but they would have to do.

Jensen sat down in front of one and wiped the dust off the keyboard using his jacket sleeve.

“What first?”  
“Start it up.”

Jensen looked around the computer for an “on” switch. Or a switch. Anything, really.

“And... How do I do that?”

Misha sighed. “Press the button on the back of the monitor.”

Jensen reached around to the back of the computer and searched until he found a button. He pressed it.

The computer lit up, a blue startup screen illuminating the room.

“Got it,” Jensen said. “Now what?”

“You’re going to need to scan the papers. I can—“

“I already destroyed them. I took photos on my phone.”

Misha huffed. “Alright then. Do you have a connector?”

“A what?”  
“Something to connect your phone to the computer.”

“No.”

“Alright. There should be one there though. Look for a black wire with two USB cables at each end.”

Jensen scanned the room. On a table in the middle of the room there was a pile of wires, all tangled together. He started pulling some out of the pile.

“What color?”  
“Should be black.”  
“Right.”

Jensen had difficulty disentangling some of them, as he couldn’t use his other arm. His frustration grew as none of the wires appeared to be the one he needed. Most of them were red or green; a few were black but they only had one USB cable.

“I can’t—“ Jensen cut himself off as he finally found it. “Never mind. Found it.”

“Great. Now plug one side into the computer and one into your phone.”

Jensen plugged his phone into the computer. The screen turned black and the word “Syncing” appeared on the screen in white. Soon enough there was a replica of his phone on the computer.

“There should be a button that says save as PDF. Click it.”

“Okay...” Jensen clicked it. The computer prompted him to select some images. He chose all the images he took of the files. A blue bar showed up as they saved.

While they saved, Jensen asked, “what now?”

“There should be a flash drive on the table. Plug it into the computer.”

Suspiciously, there _was_ a flash drive there. Jensen picked it up. On it was engraved a single letter:

_J_

Jensen plugged it into the computer.

“Drag the file onto the flash drive.”

Jensen did as he was told. The blue bar reappeared, but this time it moved much slower. Jensen growled in annoyance. “How long is this going to take?”

“Not long, I’m sure—“

Someone knocked on the door. Jensen instantly tensed. He glanced towards the screen. It was only 34% done. He stood, and cautiously snuck over to the wall by the door, careful not to make too much noise.

The door swung open, and Jensen was prepared to punch them in the face with his one good hand, but—  
“Calm down. It’s only me,” Jared said as he walked inside, shutting the door behind him. He held up his hands with feigned innocence. “I see you got the gift.”

“The flash drive?” Jared nodded. “B-but how did you—“ Jensen sputtered.

Jared rolled his eyes. “I was prepared, Jensen.”

“Right.” Jensen straightened himself. “Well, they’re transferring now.” The two stood in silence, both men watching the screen as the bar inched ever closer to 100%.

“You lost the fight,” Jared commented.

“Yeah,” Jensen said. “I did.”

“How’s your arm?” Jared asked.

“What, you concerned?” Jensen teased. Jared frowned.

“Forget I asked.”

Jensen opened his mouth, maybe to apologize or maybe to ask why, but whatever he was going to say was lost as the computer beeped, signaling that the transfer was done. Jensen carefully removed the flash drive from the computer and put it inside his pants pocket. Jared stood up to leave.

“Jared,” Jensen said. He swallowed. “I’m sorry.”

Jared turned to face Jensen. “For what?”

“For—for everything that’s happened to you. I’m sorry that I couldn’t have stopped any of it. I’m sorry that I didn’t—“

“None of this is your fault, Jensen.” Jared opened the door and paused. “Don’t make this about yourself.”

oo0o0oo

Jensen returned to the tournament just in time to witness the last fight. His seat was taken, so Jensen just stood in the back, waiting for it to be over.

“Where were you?”

Jensen spun around. It was the Cheetah. She was much shorter than Jensen, but her eyes held a contained fury.

“I went to the infirmary,” Jensen answered.

She raised an eyebrow. “Did you get lost on the way?” She laughed. “Nobody takes that long in the infirmary.”

“Well,” Jensen began. “I also went to the bathroom.”

The Cheetah didn’t appear to believe him. “Very well,” she said. She walked away, the mane of her mask trailing behind her.

“I don’t think she believed you,” Misha commented.

“Yeah, me neither,” Jensen replied. “Do you think they’re onto me?”

“Maybe.”

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment/kudo <3


End file.
